


remember me

by curiouswraith



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Babysitting, F/F, Flashbacks, Old Friends, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28264146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiouswraith/pseuds/curiouswraith
Summary: For years, Wraith held onto a child's drawing with unknown origins behind it. No sources pointed to where the drawing came from or why she had it in the first place. The only leads she had was an unfamiliar name and a date written on the back.But stories change when a new Legend joins the Games.
Relationships: Wattson | Natalie Paquette/Wraith | Renee Blasey
Comments: 16
Kudos: 86





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first shot at a long fic, so please be kind to me. :,) i'm honestly just writing this on the whim, so uploading will also be very inconsistent and just whenever i finish a chapter. 
> 
> this is also like, an old babysitting AU, if that makes sense? i hope it makes sense...

" _Renee, Renee!_ "

" _Yes?_ "

" _Look!_ " Natalie excitedly said as she held a drawing up. She pointed to the bigger purple figure on the left. " _This is you,_ "—she pointed to the smaller orange figure in the middle—" _this is me, and this is Nessie._ " She pointed to the even smaller green dinosaur on the right. In her drawing, all three of them were standing in front of colourful bookshelves and a fireplace. It was her father's, Luc Paquette, library. 

" _Wow, good job, Nat._ " Renee said, holding her hand out.

Natalie gave her a high five before shoving the piece of paper in her hand. " _It's for you._ "

Renee gently took hold of the drawing and smiled. " _ **Merci** , I'll make sure to keep it safe for as long as I can._" 

A wide grin appeared on Natalie's face as she laughed and ran back to her small table in the living room. Most of the time, if they weren't outside or in Mr. Paquette's library, that's where Renee was able to find her. She enjoyed drawing and would spend hours making piles of drawings. Interestingly enough, she didn't much care for drawing dragons and princesses or superheros like most kids. Instead, she settled for drawing clouds and lightning bolts and rough drawings of Mr. Paquette's blueprints. It was Natalie's dream to become an engineer, just like her father. 

Opening one of the kitchen drawers, Renee pulled a pen out and quickly wrote on the back of Natalie's drawing. Mr. Paquette asked for her to put the date on all of Natalie's drawings so when she was older, she'd be able to look back on them and know when they were drawn. Now it was second-nature to do so.

Time passed, giving time for Renee to wash the dishes she had to do from lunch and put some of their laundry in the wash. In between tasks, she dated four more of Natalie's drawings. The clock clicked to three-thirty, and right on cue, the front door squeaked open.

" _Renee? Natalie?_ "

" _Papa!_ " Natalie jumped up from her chair and bolted to the mudroom. 

Mr. Paquette let out a soft ' _hmph_ ' as Natalie practically jumped into his arms before he laughed. " _Natalie, **mon bébé**._" He began to speak in French, Renee picking up on the simple phrase. _How're you?_

Natalie also spoke in French. She was much better with French than she was with English, anyway. When she spoke English, she always donned a thick French accent and spoke much more slowly. She also scrunched her nose whenever she couldn't remember something in English. 

Once Mr. Paquette was done checking in with Natalie, he finally shed himself of his coat and hat and she ran upstairs. Mr. Paquette made his way into the kitchen and sat down in his usual chair. " _How was Natalie?_ " 

Renee turned the water off and grabbed the towel hanging over the sink. As she dried her hands, she spoke, " _She was great, drew quite a bit and didn't even fuss once. She didn't want to eat her sandwich though, only her applesauce._ " 

" _Should've saved that for after lunch, you know how she gets with her applesauce._ " Mr. Paquette said. 

" _Right._ " Renee laughed. She hung the towel back up. 

Both of them sat there in silence, muted thumps coming from upstairs. Mr. Paquette broke the silence. " _She loves you, you know._ "—Renee glanced at him before both of them stared at the stairs—" _She's shy around other people and didn't like school because of it. You're the first person that isn't me she grew attached to. Always babbling on about your visits._ " 

" _You haven't told her yet, have you?_ " Renee asked. They looked back at each other, Renee raising a questioning eyebrow at Mr. Paquette.

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose and eyes. " _No, I haven't._ "

" _You're gonna need to, she needs to know—sooner rather than later._ " 

" _I know, I just don't want to see her so heartbroken. She's going to be devastated when she finds out._ " Mr. Paquette said. " _You're the only babysitter she's liked, I don't know how I'm going to find another._ " 

" _You'll manage._ " Renee said. 

" _Renee, Renee, Renee!_ " Natalie yelled as she came running down the stairs. She stopped on the final step, her toy Nessie in her arms and a hopeful look on her face. " _Can you stay to watch boxing with me?_ " 

Renee looked between Natalie and Mr. Paquette, who raised his eyebrows at her. She smiled. " _Of course._ "  
—  
One Saturday later, Renee and Natalie were sitting on the couch with Natalie's head on Renee's arm. Natalie was still in her pyjamas and had her blanket loosely wrapped around herself and her Nessie in her lap. This was because they had an early start to their day, Mr. Paquette having left for the weekend for work. This left Renee to not only babysit, but housesit, too. 

To let her wake up, Renee decided to let Natalie watch some cartoons before she started breakfast. Usually, Mr. Paquette had already made breakfast, but with how early he had to leave, he didn't have enough time to. He had to be on the airship by six-thirty that morning. 

" _Hey, Natalie, are you awake?_ " Renee asked, gently nudging Natalie. She popped her head up and stared blankly at Renee. " _I have something important to tell you._ " 

" _ **Oui**?_" Natalie said. 

Taking a deep breath in, Renee spoke, " _I'm leaving for college soon._ " 

Natalie continued to stare at her, but this time with a look of terror on her face. " _You're leaving?_ " 

" _Yes, I'm leaving. I didn't want to tell you because I knew you were going to be sad, but I knew I needed to._ " Renee said. " _I don't want to leave you, but this is important to me, just like your Nessie's important to you._ "

" _But who's going to watch me?_ " Natalie asked. The first tear fell and Renee quickly wiped it away with her thumb. 

" _Your papa will find you a new babysitter, and they'll be just as good as I am—if not, better._ " Renee said.

" _I don't want a new babysitter._ " Natalie cried. She wrapped her arms around Renee's arm and buried her face into her sleeve. " _I don't want you to go. Please don't go._ " 

" _I'm sorry, Nat, but I have to._ " Renee said. This made Nat's grip on her tighten. 

They sat there with the TV quietly playing in the background. Renee stroked Natalie's hair as Natalie sobbed into her hoodie. She knew she would react like this—any kid would if they were in this situation—she just didn't want it to actually happen. But, like Renee had said before, it was best that she knew.  
—  
The car pulled up in front of the house, Renee stepping out from the passenger side and readjusting her jean jacket. About two months ago, Renee had told Natalie about her departure—remembering the heartbreaking look on her face like it was yesterday. And now… today was the day. 

" _I'll just be a minute._ " Renee said to her driver. She walked around the front of the car, down the pavement, and up the few stairs. She froze in front of the door.

Was she _really_ ready to say goodbye to Natalie and Mr. Paquette? 

Natalie was such a sweet kid and Renee had watched her grow up in the past few years. She remembered how small Natalie was when they first met—barely touching her elbow—and now she was nearly above the midway point of her upper arm. Not to mention her grasp on the English language was _way_ better than before. 

And Mr. Paquette was like a father to her. Sure, he may have drowned himself in his work, but he always treated her like his own daughter. He offered anything he could to her and made sure she always had what she needed. At one point, he had even offered to fix her car for her—which he did free of charge. 

It was nice to have a family like theirs. 

Renee stared blankly at the door, a loose fist mere inches away from the door. She didn't want to do this. _Nothing_ prepared her for saying goodbye to the kid she babysat for years. But, with a heavy sigh, she knocked on the door. 

A loud _thud_ came from inside the house, followed by something yelled in French. Natalie must've tripped over something. Shortly after, the front door opened. 

" _Renee!_ " Natalie cheered. She jumped into Renee's arms, squeezing her in a bear hug. As soon as she let go, she grabbed her arm and began to tug her inside. " _Come on, I want to show you the lab I made!_ "

" _Actually, Nat, I'm not here to visit today._ " Renee said. Natalie immediately stopped her pulling and looked at Renee with curious eyes. " _I came to say goodbye._ "

Natalie stared at her. And stared, and stared… and _stared_. Then a small frown. " _Are you leaving for college?_ " Renee nodded. Natalie continued to stare at her, her lips starting to tremble. 

Oh no…

She tightly wrapped her arms around Renee's neck and buried her face into her shoulder. " _I don't want you to go…_ " 

Renee rubbed Natalie's back. " _I know, Nat. I don't want to, either._ " 

" _Then don't go._ " Natalie said.

Renee put her hands on Natalie's shoulders and looked into her eyes while Natalie stared at the ground. " _I don't want to leave you, but this is something important to me. I'll only be gone for a few months and then I'll come visit you when I come home for Christmas, okay? I'll even bring you presents if you're a good girl. I'm sure **Papa Noël** will tell me what you want._"

Natalie sniffled and looked at Renee's nose—her way of making eye contact. " _You promise?_ " 

Renee smiled. " _I promise._ " 

" _You pinky-promise?_ " Natalie asked, holding her pinky out. 

Renee let go of one of her shoulders and wrapped her pinky around Natalie's smaller pinky. " _I pinky-promise._ " 

This seemed to raise Natalie's spirits as she giggled. She let go of Renee's pinky and gave her another hug, Renee immediately hugging her back. A soft smile of her own grew on Renee's face. 

Renee finally let Natalie go and stood up. Mr. Paquette took a step to the side as Natalie ran back inside, him and Renee looking at each other. He gave her a sorrowful smile. " _You did well, Renee._ "

" _Thank you, Mr. Paquette._ " Renee said. Her entire body tensed up as Mr. Paquette pulled her into an unexpected hug, but she quickly relaxed and hugged him back. Another thing she was going to miss was his hugs. Mr. Paquette's hugs—while rare—were always comforting and warm. 

Mr. Paquette let Renee go and put a hand on her shoulder. " _Please, if you ever need anything, call me. You know our number._ " 

Renee smiled at him. " _I'll be sure to remember that. Thank you again, Mr. Paquette._ "

" _Please, you can call me Luc. You're old enough now._ " Luc said. 

" _Right,_ " Renee said, " _thank you… Luc._ "

Luc nodded and removed his hand from her shoulder. Without another word, Renee walked back down the pavement and towards the car. She opened the passenger side door, but before she got in, she looked back at the Paquettes' home.

The front door was closed, but in the kitchen window was Natalie holding her stuffed Nessie and Luc standing behind her. Both of them waved at Renee. She smiled and waved back at them.

Renee finally climbed inside the car, closing the door behind herself and buckling herself in. Her eyes burned, her throat felt dry, and her chest felt like it was being squeezed. God, how she _hated_ goodbyes. But hopefully this one wouldn't be for long.

" _Ready to go?_ "

Renee looked over at her driver and smiled at him. " _As ready as I'll ever be._ "

He gave Renee a reassuring smile before looking back at the road and pulling away from the pavement. " _Look out, King's Creek, here we come!_ "


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Now at: Kings Canyon. Please stand behind safety lines while doors open."
> 
> The airship filled with the sounds of feet against metal and chatter as the door unlocked itself out of position. A sudden gush of air rushed inside the lounge through the cracks of the doorway—Wraith squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her lips into a thin line as her hair was blown back. 
> 
> Silence fell as the door hit the ground with an ear-piercing thunk and created a ramp. Wraith opened her eyes. 
> 
> Two people—Kuben Blisk and a shorter, smaller woman—walked towards them, both donning a smile. Blisk spoke, "Legends, welcome your newest contestant: Wattson."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've had this chapter cooking on the back burner since i posted the prologue and am honestly not too sure about how i should feel about it... oh well. 
> 
> enjoy!
> 
> [edited note]

_08:49_. She threw her head back and let out a heavy sigh. 

It was too early for this… 

Usually, she wasn't this tired in the mornings—even when she stayed up late reading or researching. But when she was having troubles waking up, coffee was her best friend. She'd always make herself a small pot of strong coffee in the morning and drink it black. The bitterness always sent a shock through her system that woke her up. Today though, coffee wasn't working—and she drank three cups of it. But there was no one to blame but herself. 

She had been up late into the night—later than usual—head clouded with the whispers of her voices and the eyes strained by her computer screen. For years, she had been trying to find any sort of website or document that had information about who she was. But like most nights, she made absolutely no progress. It left her with the emptying feeling of disappointment, but she was still determined to find _some_ lead to figure out who she was.

She closed her eyes. Five minutes of shut-eye wouldn't hurt anyone…

_Someone's coming._

"Wraith!"

She shot up to her feet, quickly drawing her kunai out from its holster. Her chair slammed against her bed frame and nearly toppled over. 

The intruder held his hands up. "Whoa, didn't mean to scare you _that_ badly, it's just me."

" _Jesus_ , Mirage, give me _some_ warning before you sneak up on me like that." Wraith scowled, tucking her kunai away.

"Aren't your voices warning enough?" Wraith glared at him. "Right, sorry… But any who, let's go!"

"Go where?"

"Out to the lounge! We're getting the new reck… ru-re-... the new person today, remember?"—Mirage stroked his beard—"Wattson, I think it was…"

Right, the new Legend. 

For more than a month now, the Apex Games had been giving teasers about the newest addition to the Games. The Legends followed along with the audience as to who they thought it was going to be since they weren't allowed to know who it was, either. They placed bets, played guessing games, and talked about how they imagined what the newest Legend would be like—Lifeline having filled Octane in on their seasonal ritual. Finally, two weeks ago, they revealed who it was: a girl named Wattson. 

Her name was self-explanatory; she was all about electricity. She was meant to secure and protect areas with her electric fences and stop incoming grenades and a select few abilities with her trophy system. Gibraltar and Bangalore seemed to be thrown off as to how they were supposed to work around her, but nonetheless, they seemed just as excited as everyone else to meet the new girl. 

"Right, I'll be right out." Wraith said. 

With two thumbs-up and a smile, Mirage scurried off to join everyone else in the main lounge. Wraith rolled her eyes. He could just be so _dorky_ sometimes. 

Wraith glanced around her room. She already had her scarf, her kunai… did she need anything else? 

Her eyes stopped. 

In the corner of her desk was a small folded piece of paper. She picked it up and gently unfolded it. Running her thumb over the wax scribbles, she pressed her lips into a thin line. 

For some god forsaken reason, she had a drawing from a child. It was a drawing of two stick figures—one purple and one orange—and a green animal. In the background was a bunch of small different-coloured lines that were boxed in by thick brown lines. Wraith assumed those were bookshelves. Behind them was a red spatula shape with a semi-circle in the middle of it. In that semi-circle were orange scribbles on top of dozens of squished-together brown lines with grey squiggles rising from it. A fireplace. And finally, the bottom quarter of the paper was nearly all brown except for a red circle—a rug—directly below the fireplace. If Wraith was guessing correctly, it was a library of the sorts. But where was this library and who were the three figures in the picture?

Wraith flipped the paper over and read the writing on the back. 

_Natalie Paquette_  
_9 June 2719_

More importantly, who was Natalie Paquette and what was the significance of that day? Wraith decided that this Natalie character wasn't anyone she was related to. The name "Paquette" sounded French or Italian or possibly even Spanish, and Wraith suspected she wasn't any of those nationalities. And even if she was, she _never_ heard of anyone with the last name _Paquette_ before. 

Maybe if she was able to find Natalie, she would be able to find more answers as to who she was. 

" _Now arriving at: Kings Canyon._ "

"Wraith, c'mon, we're getting ready to land!"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Wraith quickly folded the drawing back into its memorised shape and put it back on her desk. She left her quarters, went out into the lounge, and joined the other Legends. 

Everyone was crowded around the windows. Wraith took the empty place between Mirage and Pathfinder and looked outside the ship. They were hundreds of metres above Kings Canyon and slowly descending. Below them was Airbase, where an extra airship was landed on the left-side runway. Their ship was landing on the right side. 

"What do you think she's like?" Octane asked. 

"She's definitely smart, I hear the kid built the Ring." Gibraltar said. 

"In that case, she and I must share our research together." Caustic said. 

"If she built the Ring, she must know something about the Games—hopefully about the guns. It'd be a shame if she went out there without knowing how to handle one." Bangalore said.

"I bet'cha she's friendly, too." Lifeline said. 

"She'll probably appreciate my _perfect_ hair and beard." Mirage said. 

"Do you think she knows where my creator is?" Pathfinder asked. 

The closer they got to the runway, the more Wraith's heart started to race and stomach became quasey. This happened when she first met the other Legends when she joined the Games. And when she played her first match. And when she attended their first shows and events. _And_ when Octane joined. Her anxiety always got the best of her and she felt like phasing out of their dimension and running back to the safety of her bed. Meeting new people was something that could be left for another day. 

" _Please secure all small items in preparation for landing._ " The automated announcer said.

"Are you secure, Wraith?"

"Shut up, Mirage."

Mirage laughed as the ship began to shake. Everyone grabbed the closest thing they could—Pathfinder offering an arm for Wraith—as they began to land. The roofs and control tower of Airbase came into view, followed by the raised airship platform, then the rest of the runway. 

" _Now at: Kings Canyon. Please stand behind safety lines while doors open._ "

The airship filled with the sounds of feet against metal and chatter as the door unlocked itself out of position. A sudden gush of air rushed inside the lounge through the cracks of the doorway—Wraith squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her lips into a thin line as her hair was blown back. 

Silence fell as the door hit the ground with an ear-piercing _thunk_ and created a ramp. Wraith opened her eyes. 

Two people—Kuben Blisk and a shorter, smaller woman—walked towards them, both donning a smile. Blisk spoke, "Legends, welcome your newest contestant: Wattson."

—

The day had been full of celebration, talking, and laughter. Wattson seemed to quickly gain the love of every Legend, finding _some_ sort of similar interest with everyone. But out of everyone, Wattson seemed to cling to the quieter ones of the group: Wraith and Caustic. 

It was a given that her and Caustic were going to get along. Both of them were scientists, after all. They were quick to delve into the world of their scientific findings and works and spent hours after Wattson's welcoming party talking. The few times Wraith listened in, Caustic was explaining how his traps worked, Wattson was giving him suggestions, or they talked about some sort of journals published by their favourite scientists. 

But Wraith found it odd how Wattson found interest in her. Wraith was the outcast of the Legends. Sure, she was a fan-favourite, but when it came to her popularity amongst the Legends, she was merely a coworker of theirs. She was too quiet and snappy and cold for their liking. The only people that actively showed any sort of interest in her were Mirage and Pathfinder. Now there was Wattson. 

Wattson managed to always find her way to Wraith during her party. She would try to start "small talk" with Wraith—asking her about her real name, how old she was, how long she had been in the Games for. Truth be told, Wraith wanted to know the answers to most of Wattson's questions herself. So Wraith just… stayed quiet. 

But Wattson was still determined as ever to get her talking. She ended up rambling about how excited she was for her first match the following day. Questions like, 'who did she think she was going to get teamed up with' and 'how did she think she was going to perform' popped up. Wraith gave her the best answers that she could: vague answers. 

Wattson was a nice and bright kid that seemed to be capable of just about anything if she put her mind to it, but Wraith didn't want to give her hopes up. Everyone's first few games usually didn't end too well…

Wraith ran her hands over her face and sighed. She was starting to lose focus on her book. Looking over her shoulder, she glanced at her alarm clock. 

_03:14_.

Another sleepless night. Maybe she just needed some tea… or coffee. One of the two. 

Getting up from her chair, Wraith tiptoed out of her quarters and into the lounge. Within a matter of seconds, her eyes adjusted to the low lighting. If it weren't for the dim lights pouring out from everyone's quarters and the cabinet lights, the ship would've been completely dark. 

She made it over the kitchen area and stopped in front of the overhead cupboard to the right of the sink. Standing on her tiptoes, she opened the door and grabbed a random mug from the bottom shelf. She put the mug down on the counter with a soft _thunk_ , closed the cupboard, and quietly dug around in another cupboard below. When she stood back up, she had a small electric kettle in her hands. 

_Somebody's watching you._

Wraith's head snapped up and she spun around. She didn't have her kunai on her, having left it with the rest of her gear in her room. But Wraith considered this fortunate for once in a long while. 

Her surprise visitor stumbled backwards and raised her arms up to her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Wraith let her shoulders relax some. "It's okay, Wattson, I just wasn't expecting for you to be there."

Wattson slowly put her arms down before smiling at Wraith. "Can't sleep?"

Wraith shook her head. "What're you doing up? You should be getting some rest for your first game later."

"I couldn't sleep either, so I decided to work on some of my research." Wattson said. She eyed the item in Wraith's hand. "Making yourself some coffee?"

Wraith suddenly remembered the kettle she was holding, resuming her task at hand. She put the heater down on the counter and began to run the water. "Tea."

Wattson hummed, "I was about to make some for myself, too."

"I'll make some extra water for you."

" _Merci_."

"No problem."

Wraith filled the kettle up to the two cup line—making sure to add a little extra water—before setting it down on its heater. She plugged the heater in, flicked the power switch, and leaned against the counter. 

Her and Wattson stood around in the silence of the ship, a faint humming coming from the ventilation system. Wraith crossed her arms and looked anywhere _but_ Wattson. 

Her lack of social skills was showing. 

"How'd you choose Wraith?"

Wraith looked up from her socks and at Wattson. "I'm sorry?"

"Wraith is a nickname, right? I noticed everyone here uses a nickname, unless you use your real name…" Wattson said. 

"It's a nickname. And it was just… given to me. I don't know where it originates from." Wraith said. "I assume you got 'Wattson' from your interest?"

" _Oui_. It's a clever pun, if I do say so myself." Wattson said, smiling to herself. 

More silence. 

"While we're on the topic of names…" Wattson glanced over at Wraith as she spoke, "Earlier, you asked me what my real name is. I think I can ask you the same thing."

"My name's Natalie Paquette, but most people call me 'Nat.'" Wattson said. 

Wraith froze. "Wait…"—she looked at Wattson with furrowed eyebrows—"did you say that your name is… _Natalie Paquette_?"

"Yes, is there something wrong with it?" Wattson asked. Worry immediately covered her face as she bit her bottom lip and frowned.

Wraith's heart immediately sank. "It's… it's nothing. We can talk about it later." She turned away from Wattson and opened another cupboard. "What kind of tea do you like?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm honestly stumped on how i'm going to go about writing chapter two. i have a few ideas in mind, but it's actually writing them that's troubling me. so chapter two may just be the slightest bit delayed, but i'll try my best to get it out in a week. 
> 
> but, since today is the second to last day of the year, this is going to be my last piece of writing posted for 2020. this year has been full of ups and downs... and more downs... and even more downs... but we're still here. we may not be thriving, but we're still here.
> 
> thank you guys for one of the best starts to my (hopefully) long writing hobby and supporting me through my first ever works. writing these two little suckers always lightens my day and makes me happy that you guys seem to enjoy how i write them. all the kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. 
> 
> i hope all of you have a good New Year's and an even better 2021 and i'll see y'all next year.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Wraith!" Wattson jumped off the treatment table and ran as fast as she could. "Wraith!" Wraith looked up from the small phone she had in her hand and lazily waved at her. Wattson practically jumped right in front of her and held her hands together in front of her. "Wraith, I wanted to ask you something."—she only raised an eyebrow at her—"Would you like to come over to my house? We can have some tea and I can show you some of my projects."
> 
> Wraith's eyes darted back and forth between her and her phone. "Sure…?" That sounded more like a question than an actual answer. 
> 
> "Got it, I'll send you my address later. I'll see you at my house tomorrow night at eight!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I STAYED UP UNTIL EIGHT THIS MORNING WRITING THIS CHAPTER BECAUSE I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO WRITE IT AND ALMOST FORGOT TO POST IT TODAY. 
> 
> ANYWAy, enjoy this sleep-deprived-enduced-probably-really-terrible-but-i-don't-care-because-it's-written chapter.

Wattson squatted down, resting her chin on her palm and running her other hand through the sand. With only three other squads left, there wasn't much to do. Running after people and fights proved to be tiresome and resulted in everyone swarming them. Sitting around and waiting for someone to run into them wasn't any better, but it was the best choice out of the two. 

So, their plan was to camp at Airbase and rather let the three other squads fight it out or let them try to push themselves. Wattson had already finished fencing up the place two dead squads ago, so all that was left to do was… 

Wattson frowned.

_Wait_. 

Two large and chunky shoes came into view out of the corner of her eye. Wattson looked up, seeing that Gibraltar was towering above her. "Hey, sista, you're not looking too happy."

Wattson shook her head and looked back down at the sand. "I'm thinking."

Sand went flying—Wattson flinching at the sudden disruption—as Gibraltar plopped down on the ground next to her. He put his hands on his knees and leaned forward, trying to make eye contact the best that he could. "Why don't you talk about it? Gibraltar's here to listen to you." 

Wattson thought about it. Maybe it _would_ be a good idea to talk about it with someone. With a sigh, she gently sat down in the sand and played with the velcro straps on her shoes. "Last night, I told Wraith my name and she looked scared about it. It was like she knew something about me that I didn't. When I asked her what was wrong, she said we would talk about it later, but I want to know what she means _now_." 

"Well, maybe Wraith just needs some time to think it over before you two talk. I know that some folks like to have time to think and sort through their thoughts before tackling their problems. So give her a few days, then when she's ready, she'll find you." Gibraltar said. 

Wattson looked over at him with a worried look on her face. "So you think that I should just give her some space to think before we talk?" 

Gibraltar opened his mouth, but was quickly interrupted before he could say anything. " _I_ think that you shouldn't concern yourself with the likes of her." Both Wattson and Gibraltar looked up and behind themselves. Walking up behind them was Caustic, his eyebrows furrowed underneath his goggles and his hands balled into fists. "Wraith isn't someone that should be taken lightly. She's a hazard to your safety." 

"What's so dangerous about her?" Gibraltar asked. "We've been competing with her since the Games started and the only damage she's done to us is in the Ring."

"She's been nothing but kind to me since I joined, too." Wattson added. 

"Her outrageous temper and disrespect for her fellow colleagues have proven to get her _and_ her squadmates into more trouble than they could handle. If she were more careful and less…"—he coughed—" _violent_ … perhaps she would be a suitable acquaintance to someone like Ms. Paquette."

"But brudda, that's _in_ the Games. Who's to say she's the same outside the Games?" Gibraltar asked. 

"You put too much trust into her—which can be a fatal mistake. You shouldn't trust anyone easily, especially someone like _her_." Caustic said. 

Wattson abruptly shot up to her feet, stomping her foot into the sand. "Why are you being rude about her? You don't know her enough to say something like that—"

"Oh, but I _do_ know." Caustic interrupted. He took a step forward, making Wattson shrivel and take a step back. "I know more than you can imagine. And if I were you, _Ms. Paquette_ , I would distance yourself as much as you can before she does something to put you into danger." 

Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps in the sand and gunfire nearby. 

Without anything else but an expecting look, Caustic pulled his Peacekeeper out and slowly walked off. Wattson looked at where he was standing, her thoughts running ten million miles an hour. What did he know about Wraith? More importantly, what was Wraith hiding from her?

"C'mon, sista, we should get going." Gibraltar said. He pulled himself back to his feet, patting Wattson's back and pulling her along with an arm loosely around her.

Who was she supposed to listen to now?

—

They didn't end up winning. If any of them were being completely honest, their odds of winning were undoubtedly slim. They may have thought that they had their fight handled, but when a surprise third party joined, all hell broke loose. 

One of the squads—one that consisted of Bangalore, Mirage, and Pathfinder—stumbled upon them while they were running about the runways. The two squads quickly started fighting, and what felt like a matter of seconds, _everyone_ was there. Bullets and grenades flew through the air left and right. Everywhere you looked, there was bound to be at least one person there. All in all, there was too much going on for there to be any upper hand. 

In the end, Gibraltar ended up getting shot down by Bloodhound in the distance with a Longbow, Caustic was stuck with multiple Arc Stars by Bangalore, and Wattson was cornered by Octane and Lifeline. It would've been a _miracle_ if they made it out of that fight alive. 

Now there Wattson was, sat on a treatment bed with her right arm exposed and medal in hand. She ran her thumb over the engravings. Fourth place. Not too bad for her first game. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Wattson an familiar flash of black passing by. She snapped her head up and looked around. Just as expected, it was—

"Wraith!" Wattson jumped off the treatment table and ran as fast as she could. Her medic yelled after her to return back to her place so they could finish treating her wounds, but their words fell on deaf ears. "Wraith!" Wraith looked up from the small phone she had in her hand and lazily waved at her. Wattson practically jumped right in front of her and held her hands together in front of her. "Wraith, I wanted to ask you something."—she only raised an eyebrow at her—"Would you like to come over to my house? We can have some tea and I can show you some of my projects."

They didn't need to talk. Wattson just wanted to spend some quality time with Wraith and get to know her more. 

Wraith's eyes darted back and forth between her and her phone. "Sure…?" That sounded more like a question than an actual answer. 

"Got it, I'll send you my address later. I'll see you at my house tomorrow night at eight!" Wattson said with a smile. Just as she was turning around to head back to the medical bay, Wraith spoke again. 

"Wattson, wait,"—Wattson turned back around—"why do you have a roll of medical tape hanging from your arm?" She nodded towards her exposed arm. 

Wattson nervously laughed and ran her fingers through her fringe. "I was in the middle of getting my cut patched up when I saw you." Wraith raised her eyebrow at her again. " _Je suis désolé_ , I just wanted to ask you before I forgot…" 

"You're fine, Wattson. Next time, just please make sure that you're fully bandaged before coming to talk to me." Wraith said. 

"Okay, I'll talk to you again later, Wraith!" Wattson said. They waved goodbye to each other as Wattson went back to the medical room. Instead of getting a scolding like she expected, her medic thanked her for coming back as they returned to their task. 

—

_Ding-dong-ding._

"Coming!" Lifting her safety glasses up, Wattson quickly looked over her work and nodded with a satisfied smile. She put her soldering iron back in its stand, turned the iron and fan off, and got up from her stool. Entering her mudroom, Wattson opened the front door. "Oh, hello, Wraith! Is it that time already?"

"I'm a bit early, if you don't mind." Wraith said, getting an 'it's okay' in response. She looked Wattson up and down. "You look like you were busy." 

"I was just doing some repairs on one of my nodes. One of them went out in the middle of a match. Thankfully, I had a spare one on me just in case anything like that happened." Wattson said. She stepped to the side and held the door open. "You can come in."—Wraith took a cautious step forward, slipping her boots off and walking further inside—"Don't mind the mess in the sitting room, that always happens when I get sucked into my work."

Just as expected, there was a _large_ mess in the sitting room. There were blueprints and books scattered about the coffee table and the desk pushed under the window. Colourful and transparent bins were placed here and there: some opened, some closed, and some without lids. Tools, bits of scrap metal, and extra parts were sprawled out across the desk. To top it all off, there were even some bowls and cups piled in the corner of her desk next to her lamp. 

"You have a very cozy house." Wraith said. She put the container she was holding when she arrived down on the kitchen counter. 

"I grew up here. My papa got this long before I was born and it was given to me when he passed."

"I'm sorry for your loss…" 

"It's okay. It gets lonely without him here anymore, but at least I have Nikola."

"Who's Nikola?"

"Oh, Nikola's my cat! Here, I'll let you meet him." Wattson stood at the bottom of the stairs with Wraith behind her and called upstairs. "Nikola, _venez ici, bébé_!" 

They stood there for a few moments, looking expectedly into the darkness of Wattson's house. Then a small white head popped out from between the railing. 

" _Venez ici, minou, venez ici_!" Wattson said in a high pitched voice. She held her arms out and clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth a few times. 

Nikola's head disappeared from in between the railing then quickly reappeared around the edge of it. He glanced at Wraith in uncertainty and curiosity before hopping down the stairs. 

Wattson picked him up and turned around. "Wraith, meet Nikola." She looked down at Nikola and introduced him to Wraith in French. As she did, he looked away from her and at Wraith. Wraith's shoulders visibly tensed up. "Don't be scared, _mon amie_ , he's not going to bite you, he's very friendly. Let him sniff your hand."

Wraith slowly held her hand out but looked ready to pull it back faster than a bullet could be fired. Nikola moved closer to sniff the tips of her fingers, snapping his head back a few times when his nose would touch her. Several sniffs later, Nikola rubbed his head against her fingers. 

"See! He likes you." Wattson said with a smile. 

Wraith wore her own smile. "Yeah, I guess he does." They stood there, Wattson watching as Wraith rubbed Nikola's jaw and scratched his neck. Nikola was basking in the love and attention, his loud purrs and closed eyes proving it. 

"Come on, I'll let you get to know him some more while I make us some tea." Wattson said. 

Both Wraith and Nikola seemed to become instantly sad as Wattson walked past Wraith. She led them into the sitting room, pushing a stack of screw and fuse cases aside with her foot to make room for Wraith. Nodding towards the couch, she let Wraith get settled before putting Nikola in her lap. Wraith seemed to tense up at the sudden weight on her lap—Nikola nearly dashing off—but quickly relaxed and resumed her petting. 

Leaving the two be, Wattson went into the kitchen and finally took her work gloves and safety glasses off. She washed her hands—leaving the water running—before rummaging around the cupboards for her kettle. Unlike the kettles they had on the drop ship, Wattson's was meant to be used on a stovetop. Taking the lid off, she began to fill it. 

"I've never had a cat before." Wraith said, breaking the silence.

Watson nearly dropped the kettle in the sink. " _Never_?" 

Wraith nodded. "For as long as I can remember, at least." 

Wraith being afraid of Nikola suddenly made sense. 

"Nikola's the first pet I've ever owned. My papa never allowed me to have a cat while I was a little girl because he was afraid that he wouldn't be here enough to help teach me how to take care of it. But, when I was sixteen, he finally allowed me to get one. We heard that our neighbours were giving their kittens away after their cat unexpectedly became pregnant and couldn't take care of them, so I begged Papa to let me have one. When he finally said yes, our neighbours gave me a kitten for free since Papa already did so much for them. That's when Nikola joined our family."—a soft but sad smile grew on her face—"I'm glad we got him in time. If we didn't, he would've been let out into the wild. Poor thing was the last one and no one wanted him…"

"Couldn't he have been put in an animal shelter?" Wraith asked. She took her eyes off Nikola to raise a confused eyebrow at Wattson, but continued petting him. 

" _Non_ , we didn't have any shelters or rescues at the time. But a rescue has opened up since then. There's been too many stray animals wandering around here, which is both a hazard to them and the neighbourhood. I've found one too many of them dead in my backyard…" Wattson said. She grimaced as she remembered the first dead animal she found. 

—

" _Don't be out here for too long, lunch will be ready soon._ " Renee said as she walked back inside

" _Okay, Renee!_ " Natalie said. She put her Nessie down on the small lawn chair—one that her papa had made specifically for it—and covered it with her sun hat. " _There, now you won't get sunburnt._ " Patting the top of the hat, Natalie turned and jumped into the water with a laugh. 

It was another sunny day, as usual. The difference between today and most other days was that it was _exceptionally_ hot out. When Renee went to read the thermostat outside, she put her hand against Natalie's forehead and pretended to get burnt by her—which made Natalie laugh. So, to help her "cool down," Renee blew her inflatable pool up and filled it with cold water. Of course, the water wasn't going to stay cold for long in this heat. 

Natalie splashed and rolled about, laughing and screaming and yelling. In her imagination, she was the captain of her very own ship while Renee and Papa were her crewmates. But exploring open waters wasn't always smooth sailing. They had to quickly put their battle strategies into action when a giant Nessie started to attack them and try to take over the ship. 

_Plap!_

Natalie froze. That didn't sound right… 

Pushing herself off her back, Natalie walked on her knees to the edge of her pool and looked around. Her eyes widened. " _Renee!_ "—tears began to form around the edges of her eyes—" _ **Renee**!_"

The screen door squeaked open. " _What's wrong?_ "

Natalie pointed at the ground. About two pool lengths away from her was a dog lying on the ground. Its grey fur was stained a pale yellow and heavily knotted and its chest heaved up and down. 

" _Natalie, get inside, now._ " Renee said. She grabbed the towel folded on the small orange lawn chair, wrapped Natalie in it as she climbed out, and carried her inside. 

" _Wait, my Nessie!_ " 

" _I'll get it for you later._ " 

Lunch that day ended up being delayed. Instead, Natalie was ushered into the bath to wash, dried off, and left to watch cartoons with her Nessie and a popsicle. Renee quickly got on the phone with Natalie's papa and told her what Natalie had found. Her papa ended up coming home from work early that day with three men that took the poor dog away. When Natalie asked Renee if the dog was going to be okay, Renee said it would be. 

Natalie figured that that was far from the truth. 

—

After they finished their tea, Wattson spent the rest of the evening showing Wraith what she was working on. She explained how her nodes worked and even tore the one she was repairing apart to show Wraith exactly how she assembled it. When she offered to take it apart again to teach Wraith how to assemble it, Wraith declined her offer, wanting to "save it for another time." Wattson kept that stored away in the back of her mind for another time. 

After Wattson was done with her repairs, Wraith showed her what was in the container she brought. 

"You made me _biscuits_?" Wattson asked, a wide smile on her face. 

Wraith scratched the back of her neck. "I didn't know what else you'd like, so I settled for chocolate chip. You don't have to eat them, I just didn't want to come over without anything to give you." 

Wattson's smile melted into a softer, more thankful one as she wrapped her arms around Wraith's neck and squeezed her. " _Ils sont parfaits_. Thank you." 

Wraith stood there, body as stiff as a statue under Wattson's weight. Slowly, she loosely wrapped her arms around Wattson's back and hovered her hands over her spine. Awkward, but a hug nonetheless. "No problem…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "je suis désolé" = "i am sorry"  
> "venez ici" = "come here"  
> "minou" = "kitty"  
> "ils sont parfaits" = "they are perfect"
> 
> i accidentally completely forgot that Nikola existed and wanted to write a bit of him. just some fluff before the storm. and i personally believe that Wraith is an animal person, but just has no experience with them.
> 
> unlike this chapter, i already have chapter three written and ready for next week. we just... gotta hope that i know what i'm doing...
> 
> i'll see y'all next week!
> 
> Tumblr: @curiouswraith  
> Twitter: @curiouswraith


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What's got'cha in the mood to bake anyway?"
> 
> "I was just… craving some." 
> 
> Lifeline laughed, "What's da real reason?" 
> 
> Damn, she saw right through her.
> 
> "Wattson invited me over to her house for tea tonight. I don't want to be rude and show up with nothing to give her." Wraith explained in a defeated tone. 
> 
> "Dat girl's really got'cha wrapped around her finger, huh?"
> 
> Wraith furrowed her eyebrows together. Lifeline was right, it was odd for Wraith to be making biscuits for someone she barely knew. Wattson was just another Legend she would learn to fight beside and against with, not some secondary school crush. And yet, no matter how much Wraith tried, she wasn't able to resist Wattson's presence.
> 
> It was probably just her being over the top with Wattson's unconditional friendliness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ALMOST FORGOT TO POST THIS CHAPTER TOO, LORD HAVE MERCY ON ME. 
> 
> anyway, this chapter is moreso to establish a few things more than anything, so apologies if it isn't the most well written chapter. i promise, next chapter should hopefully be better. 
> 
> enjoy!

_Knock-knock-knock!_

Tucking the sky blue sticky note firmly between the pages, Wraith closed her book and slid it onto the coffee table. She got up from her couch and opened to the front door. 

"Elliott told me ya needed some help?" 

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Lifeline." Wraith said. She raised her eyebrow as she glanced to Lifeline's side. "You two are a package deal, huh?"

Octane laughed, "You got that right, _amiga_."

Lifeline sighed. "Dis boy would not stop buggin' me 'til I let him come." 

Wraith only shrugged. As long as she had Lifeline here, she didn't much care what company she brought. It wasn't like where she lived was this huge secret that no one but herself was allowed to know. Hell, _Bloodhound_ had been over to her house once upon a time. 

The two of them walked into her house, Lifeline noting to take her shoes off and Octane wiping the bottoms of his feet off in the mudroom before entering. Lifeline immediately made her way into the kitchen and fished a binder out of her backpack. 

Octane, on the other hand… 

" _Whoa_ , I was expecting your house to be more… depressing. Y'know, like you." Octane said as he walked about the sitting room and looked about. 

Lifeline groaned. "Don't mind him, he's just lookin' for trouble." 

"He's fine. Mirage had the same reaction and I haven't killed him." 

" _Yet_."

"Yet." 

It was true. The first time—more like the first few times—that Mirage had visited Wraith at her house, he had similar reactions. During his very first visit, he looked like he was just told that he won a mansion when he walked inside. He ended up _immediately_ calling Pathfinder and told him about his visit as soon as he left her house that day. 

"Did ya get everything I told ya to get?" Lifeline asked. Without a single word said, Wraith grabbed the two reusable grocery bags from beside her fridge and put them on the kitchen island. "Good." As Wraith took everything out of the bags, Lifeline flipped through her binder before stopping near the back of it. "Now ya want to make a batch of how many?" 

"Twelve should do." Wraith glanced over at Octane, who was standing behind the coffee table with the TV remote in hand. "Maybe twelve more for you and him. As a 'thank you' for helping me."

Lifeline hummed. "What's got'cha in the mood to bake anyway?"

Wraith stared at the bag of chocolate chips as she pressed her lips together. "I was just… craving some." 

Lifeline laughed, "What's da real reason?" 

Damn, she saw right through her.

"Wattson invited me over to her house for tea tonight. I don't want to be rude and show up with nothing to give her." Wraith explained in a defeated tone. 

"Dat girl's really got'cha wrapped around her finger, huh?" 

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" 

"She's barely been here for a few days and ya makin' her _biscuits_." Lifeline said. She continued to talk as she looked over all the ingredients. "Dis ain't like ya. Ya nearly pushed Mirage down da waterfall after he stole ya kill ya first match together."

Wraith scoffed. "I would've if you weren't there…" 

"See, there ya go! If I didn't know any better, I would say that Wattson's got'cha smitten." Lifeline said. 

" _What_? No, no… It's not like that." Wraith said. 

"Ya sure?" Lifeline asked, raising her eyebrows and giving Wraith a questioning look.

Wraith furrowed her eyebrows together. _Was_ she sure? Lifeline was right, it _was_ odd for Wraith to be making _biscuits_ for someone she barely knew. Wattson was just another Legend she would learn to fight beside and against with, not some secondary school crush. And yet, no matter how much Wraith tried, she wasn't able to resist Wattson's presence.

It was probably just her being over the top with Wattson's unconditional friendliness. 

"Nevermind that, we got some biscuits we need to bake."

—

Wraith walked down the pavement, a see-through container with a red lid held securely in her arms. Normally, she would walk at a speed that people would assume she was being followed at, but today, she walked exceptionally slow. An elderly person on a scooter would probably be able to pass her easily. 

Her slow speeds were all due to some… thinking. 

_Did_ Wraith fancy Wattson? They've barely gotten to know each other and yet here Wraith was, doing anything in her will power to be around Wattson. She didn't do that with Mirage or Pathfinder when they first became friends—Wraith _still_ didn't hang out with either of them much outside the Games. Normally, Wraith would settle for phone calls once in a while with the two just to catch up. So why did she want to be around Wattson so much?

Well… Wattson was the first person—an _actual_ person and not a robot—to treat her normally. Pathfinder was kind, but he wasn't human. Far from it, actually. Mirage was also kind, but he still treated her differently compared to everyone else. And everyone else in the Games didn't interact with her much. She was constantly treated like a foreign threat. But Wattson didn't do that. Sure, she was awkward, but from what Wraith gathered over the past couple of days, she was awkward with _everyone_. Despite her natural awkwardness, Wattson was still as eager as ever to be Wraith's friend. After all, she _did_ invite Wraith over to her house. 

On top of that, Wattson was passionate. Wraith already knew that she _loved_ science and the few conversations she overheard proved it even more. But that wasn't the only thing she was passionate about. For the short amount of time she had been in the Games, she was determined to keep everyone safe. The way she tried covering everywhere she went and keeping the fights as balanced as she could proved just how protective she was of her squad. Outside the Games, she was always the first one to volunteer to help. Wraith once watched her make a mad dash to get Lifeline a bowl of warm water and a rag when Octane accidentally dropped his butterfly knife and cut himself. The poor thing nearly tripped over her own foot and dumped it all over herself in her panic, but she still recovered and got it to Lifeline in a timely manner. 

The way she smiled was utterly _adorable_ , too. She flashed Wraith dozens of smiles already, all of which were genuine as the last. It was something she'd never openly admit, but it always made Wraith smile, too. 

Wraith shook her head. Was she _seriously_ thinking that way about someone she didn't know was even interested in women or not? Let alone someone she barely knew?

_Stop walking._

_In front of you._

Wraith abruptly stopped, coming face-to-chest with a wall of a human being. When she looked up, she was immediately met with intense green eyes. Her grip on the container she had tightened as she furrowed her eyebrows. "Can I help you?" 

"Yes, yes you can. Tell me, where are you heading to?" 

"Why does it matter to you?" 

"Because Ms. Paquette informed me last night that she invited you over to her house. But if I were you, I'd turn back around, go back home, and cut off all communications with her outside the Games." 

"And suddenly you're telling _me_ what to do with _my_ life? Thanks, but no thanks, I'll pass." Wraith tried walking past him, but Caustic stepped in her way. She stared blankly at him. "Why can't I go visit her, exactly?" 

"Ms. Paquette does not need a _pest_ getting in the way of her and her work. She has a brilliant mind and has contributed more to the science community more than you ever have." Caustic said. 

"Excuse me, ' _pest_?' What did I ever do to _you_? I barely even know you." Wraith said. 

"Who I am doesn't concern you. What _should_ concern you is who _you_ are." Caustic said. His face was mere inches away from Wraith's, leaving her no room to look away. "I know more about you than you yourself know. What I know can and will lead to consequences that can end your…"—he coughed, Wraith squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her lips in a thin line—"' _friendship_.' So if I were you, I'd heed my warnings and run while you still can, _girl_." 

Caustic stared her down. No matter how close he was to her or how many threats he threw at her, she wouldn't back down. She knew that there were bigger threats than him out there— _much_ bigger. 

Wraith let out a scoff. "I think I'll take my chances." 

A small flash of surprise crossed Caustic's face, but it was quickly covered by a look of pure anger. If his gas was a person, it'd constantly look exactly like he did right now. 

Without another word, Caustic finally left her alone. His footsteps were heavy against the pavement, accompanied by grunts. Grunts of anger or grunts from impact? Wraith wasn't too entirely sure. If she had to guess, it was probably both. 

Hugging the container closer to her chest, Wraith continued to walk down the pavement. This time, she was walking _much_ faster than before—even faster than she usually walked. She didn't feel like getting chased by _another_ large man that could probably snap her neck with ease today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now that we have some more conflict, i feel like it's going to be a little easier to write this. 
> 
> i am honestly questioning that, after chapter four, i should put this on a three week hiatus to write a three-part fic i had an idea for... i dunno, depends on if y'all are interested in that and if i'm up to it. i already have all three parts planned out and began writing the first part. if you are interested, i'll probably do it, if not, i'll save it for when this fic is done. 
> 
> i'll see y'all next week for chapter four. 
> 
> Tumblr: @curiouswraith  
> Twitter: @curiouswraith


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Who's that?"
> 
> "It's a very old picture." Wattson said as she got up from her stool and took the picture off its hook. She sat back down and gently brushed any of the built up dust off the frame then pointed at the younger girl in the picture. "This is me when I was a little girl,"—her finger hovered over the other girl in the picture—"and this is Renee. She would babysit me when my papa would go out for work,"—Wattson scoffed—"which was basically every day." 
> 
> "What happened to her?" Wraith asked. 
> 
> Wattson frowned. "When I was eight, she left for college. She promised she'd come back when she could—and she did. She'd come visit me whenever she could and brought me gifts every time. Then she got a job for the IMC and she didn't have much time to visit anymore. So she wrote me letters." She proceeded to tell Wraith about her and Renee's story and how they eventually became strangers.
> 
> "I'm sure wherever she is, she's doing well. You'll probably see her again some day." Wraith
> 
> Wattson's heart throbbed. That's what her papa told her, too. "Some day…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ladies, gentlemen, and those in between... we're back. 
> 
> so mAYBE IT'S NOT THE BEST IDEA TO HAVE TWO STORIES GOING ON AT THE SAME TIME, BUt it's been going on two months since i've even touched this story and i had most of this chapter sitting on the back burner for just about the same amount of time. i recently reread all my chapters, finished this chapter, and decided that maybe it's time i come back to this story.
> 
> i also can't stay dedicated to one story at a time. :,) but, good news, if you also like Lobalore and want a slightly darker story than this one, then you should read my other story "the case of Loba Andrade." as of right now, it only has two chapters, but i'm in the process of working on chapter three as we speak. 
> 
> without further ado, enjoy!

_Thunk!_

"Nikola, _calmez-vous_!" Nikola scrambled to his feet and looked back at Wattson with wide pupils. Though, his attention was quickly ripped away from her as his toy zoomed underneath him with a squeak. 

Two days after her first visit, Wraith was back and this time with a gift for Nikola. She had found a self-control mouse toy in some store and decided to get it for him. Though, Nikola was far from the toy type. Any toys that Wattson bought for him in the past found their permanent home in a small woven basket next to the TV stand. He instead preferred to push on Wattson's buttons and pull on her wires and knock things off the counters and tables. But it seemed that Wraith found the _perfect_ toy for him.

To say that Wattson was shocked would be an understatement. 

Speaking of Wraith, she had been sat next to Wattson for the past half hour. She had previously been rolling about the living room floor and playing with Nikola as if he was a kitten again ever since she arrived, but a particularly loud curse from Wattson caught her attention. Wattson told her not to worry and that she accidentally burnt herself on her soldering iron. 

Wraith wasn't having it. 

Her attempt to keep Wattson from hurting herself again was covered by an excuse of asking her to walk her through how her pylon worked. Wattson pouted at the fact that Wraith was babying her but still took the opportunity nonetheless. 

"This is a very easy fix, it was just…"—Wattson bit her bottom lip as she plucked a small cylinder out from the motherboard—"some blown fuses, see?" She put the fuse in the palm of her hand and held it out for Wraith to see. The small fuse was discoloured, the usually clear glass coloured a charcoal black. "Fuses break when there's too much current passing through them, so it burns a wire inside it called a ribbon, which snaps and stops the circuit." The fuse joined the other blown fuses in a small plastic container.

"Do they blow often?" Wraith asked. 

Wattson shook her head. "Not usually. They're made to last a while but age gets to them. It's just like anything else, no?" She lifted her head and looked at Wraith. She saw Wraith's mouth move as she spoke but her words fell on deaf ears. Something else had caught Wattson's attention. 

On the wall behind Wraith was a picture. That picture had been there for _years_ —more than a decade at this point—and she had studied several hundred times growing up. Wattson glanced between Wraith and the picture. Something about her and one of the people in the pictures made a surge of sadness run through her. 

Wraith waved her hand in front of Wattson's face. " _Wattson_."—Wattson blinked a few times before looking at Wraith—"Are you okay?" 

"Ye-yeah. I was just… reminded of someone." Wattson said with a weak smile. 

Wraith turned her attention to the picture Wattson had been looking at. "Who's that?"

"It's a very old picture." Wattson said as she got up from her stool and took the picture off its hook. She sat back down and gently brushed any of the built up dust off the frame then pointed at the younger girl in the picture. "This is me when I was a little girl,"—her finger hovered over the other girl in the picture—"and this is Renee. She would babysit me when my papa would go out for work,"—Wattson scoffed—"which was basically every day." 

"What happened to her?" Wraith asked. 

Wattson frowned. "When I was eight, she left for college. She promised she'd come back when she could—and she did. She'd come visit me whenever she could and brought me gifts every time. Then she got a job for the IMC and she didn't have much time to visit anymore. So she wrote me letters.

"Her letters were very inconsistent. Papa told me that she was a very busy woman and that I needed to respect her time, and I did. I'd wait for her letters and immediately write back when I got a letter. Then I would wait for her to get my letters. But then she stopped writing all together. I don't know what happened to her. It's been _years_. Not even Papa heard from her while he was alive."—Wattson took a deep shaky breath—"I just hope she's okay…" 

"I'm sure wherever she is, she's doing well. You'll probably see her again some day." Wraith said. 

Wattson's heart throbbed. That's what her papa told her, too. "Some day…" She looked at the picture one last time before setting it aside. "We should finish up, no?"

—

_Click._

Wattson looked about the dimly lit room. It was her Papa's old study. His study he spent several years of Wattson's childhood hiding in when he wasn't away for work. It hadn't been touched since his passing—not even by Wattson. She had locked it up and swore never to touch it unless absolutely necessary. Of course, promises were never kept. 

Her eyes landed on the coat hanger beside her. Hanging on the closest hook to her was a lone jacket. The jacket her papa wore everywhere. She rubbed the fabric of the collar between her fingers. It was just as soft as the last day her papa wore it. She slipped it off its hook and draped it over her shoulders. 

Her feet dragged across the carpet as she moved herself over to the bookshelves. She ran her fingers over the spines of what felt like sacred books. In her years of growing up, she had read just about every single book here. Most of them were about the science of engineering and electricity that went as in-depth as the deepest ocean in existence and every bit of maths under the sun. There were also some random biographies and other bits of different sciences and history drizzled into the mix. Those books were usually gifts from her papa's colleagues. 

Amongst the dozens of books though was a box. It was grey in colour and left unmarked. Wattson pulled it from its place next to an old book titled _The Elegant Universe_ and hugged it to her chest. She turned and looked down at the desk pushed out from the wall. Her papa's old desk, left just the way it had been since he last worked at it. The chair squeaked under her weight as she sat down, no longer used to there being any weight on it at all. She put the box down on top of the desk and lifted the lid off. With a heavy sigh, she took the first item out. 

It was a small wooden box in the shape of a chest. The white paint looked freshly done and there was no sign of rust on any of the locks or hinges. She unlatched the locks and gently flipped the lid over. Inside the box were an array of colourful pastel envelopes, all of which were addressed to her. She took the first letter out, slipped the paper out of its envelope, and unfolded it. 

—

Natalie sat at the window, her nessie tucked underneath her chin. She glanced over at the clock hung above the window. _15:28_. Any minute now… 

Her eyes darted back to the window as she saw a small dot move outside. She sat up. Coming down the road was a brown delivery truck. Natalie's chair screeched as it rubbed against the tile floor and Natalie stood on her tiptoes. It was about time that they made it here. 

Natalie watched as the delivery truck pulled to the side of the road and came to a stop in front of her mailbox. There was no movement from inside the truck for what felt like centuries. Finally, the door slid open and the driver hopped out and onto the pavement with a large stack of envelopes under their arm. They opened the mail box, slipped the envelopes inside, and closed it back up. Then they were back off. 

As soon as the delivery truck was pulling away from her house, Natalie jumped up from her chair and ran outside. Her white socks were bound to be dirtied by the time she was back inside from all the dust that covered the pavement, but Natalie didn't care. The only thing that mattered was the mail. Tucking her nessie under her arm, Natalie reached inside the mailbox and flipped through all the envelopes. She mumbled "papa" to herself for every letter that was addressed to her papa. Her hope was beginning to run dry as she nearing the bottom of the stack. 

A gasp. Written on a pastel blue envelope was her name. Natalie Paquette. 

She squealed, " _ **Il est venu! C'est finalement venu**!_" She ran back inside, poured the other envelopes onto the table, and jumped onto the couch with her letter and a letter opener in hand. She expertly cut the flap open, careful not to tear anything. Discarding the opener onto the coffee table, she pulled the letter out and quickly unfolded it. 

_Dear Natalie,_

_Happy late birthday! I hope it went well and that you were able to celebrate it. I'm sorry we weren't able to talk on your birthday, I tried calling but no one answered. I assume you were asleep and your papa was at work when I did. I promise, I'll make it up to you soon enough. As a way to start making it up to you, I sent you a package that should be arriving shortly after this letter._

_But how does it feel to be 13 now? Do you feel old yet? I bet you that next time I see you, you're probably going to be my age or even older than me, you grandma._

_Here's my annual birthday advice: don't be so serious. I know you're extremely mature and smart for your age and thirteen makes you feel like you're basically an adult now, but you're only starting life. The most "adult" thing you're going to be doing is growing to the height you're going to be for the rest of your life, so eat your vegetables. Maybe then you'll grow to be taller than me._

_But how's your papa been? I haven't heard from him in a while. I assume he's as busy as ever. Tell him that I said to take a holiday for a few weeks. His work will probably thank him._

_While we're on the topic of work, I want to tell you something really important and I hope you understand. I can't go into detail about why, but there's been a change in my work where I need to spend as much time as I can working. So I won't be able to write back to you anymore. I'm so sorry, Natalie. I wish I was able to tell you this in person, but this is the best I can do for now. I promise you, this will all be worth it in the end. And whenever we finish this, I'll come visit you and bring you plenty of presents to make up for all the time I missed._

_Don't grow up too much while I'm gone._

_Sincerely,_  
_Renee_

Natalie blinked. "Oh…" She sniffled as she folded the letter back up and tucked it back in its envelope. Tossing the envelope onto the coffee table, she hugged her knees to her chest. 

That's not what she was expecting to hear… 

—

Wattson gently laid the last envelope on top of the neatly stacked pile of letters. God knew what hour it was now. All she knew was that she had spent a while sat in her papa's office reading old letters and looking at pictures. 

She grabbed a tissue from her left, blew her nose, and wiped the remaining tears away with her wrists. Crying wasn't going to solve anything but she couldn't help it. She missed her papa. She missed Renee. 

It was nights like this she wish Renee was still around to hold her. Sure, Renee would've been in her thirties—thirty-two if she was being exact—but Wattson knew that, in some odd way, they could be friends. Wattson was old enough now that they could've been close friends. It'd be nice to have someone to call her friend, too. 

But it's been so long since they've had _any_ communication with each other. Would Renee even remember her? Would she find it odd to be friends with the girl she used to babysit? …was she even alive anymore? Wattson sniffled and stared at a random picture that was scattered about the desk. If she _was_ alive, what would she even look like?

Well… Wraith looked an awful lot like her. Same black hair, same blue eyes, same pale skin. If anything, Wraith just looked like the grown up version of Renee. Wattson weakly laughed to herself. Renee _definitely_ looked like a baby compared to Wraith. Her face was much rounder and chubbier than Wraith's. Plus, she lacked the tiny nose piercing Wraith had. 

Wattson picked up the picture she had been staring at. The more she thought about it, the more Wraith and Renee looked like each other. She put the picture down and lifted her phone up, her lock screen popping up and showing the time and any notifications she had. _05:49_. 

Maybe she'd bring it up to Wraith at a later time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted this chapter to be centred around Wattson and more so how she deals with like, loss and loneliness. it was a nice excuse for a mini character study and i really hope that i captured her somewhat decently. 
> 
> also, for those of you who have been following before this update, i did update a note in previous chapters, but i didn't edit the chapter itself. i marked the note i edited. 
> 
> one last note, going forward with this story, there won't be any set schedule anymore. on top of writing "the case of Loba Andrade," wrapping up my senior year of high school, and getting ready for college, chapters will just be coming out whenever i have the time and motivation. 
> 
> until next chapter!
> 
> Tumblr: @curiouswraith  
> Twitter: @curiouswraith

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry if this chapter was really choppy and rough, i just wanted to set up a foundation as to a backstory. y'all will learn more as this story goes on. 
> 
> see y'all... whenever i upload the next chapter! (hopefully soon.)
> 
> Tumblr: @curiouswraith  
> Twitter: @curiouswraith


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